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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23246011">Home</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wishful86/pseuds/Wishful86'>Wishful86</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Trek: Picard</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst and Humor, Family, Future Fic, Gen, La Sirena</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 15:27:53</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,762</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23246011</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wishful86/pseuds/Wishful86</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>'“We’ve all been in a bubble,” Picard leaned forward in his chair, “Perhaps we need to just ask him?”'</p><p>When it is all over, where do they feel like they belong? Will they be able to stay?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>50</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Home</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They should have expected it. They had expected something. It was the harsh honesty that had hit them the hardest when it came. </p><p>“I wish I had never met you” he spat, “All of you. I was better off alone. I can’t believe I let it happen. Again. God damn it! I have been such an idiot.”</p><p>“Cris-"</p><p>“No. No. Don’t,” he took a deep breath, trying to steady what was left, “I- I have work to do.”</p><p>He walked away. His pain stayed with them. </p><p>“This is all my fault” Soji wiped tears from her eyes. </p><p>Picard shook his head, “It’s no-one’s fault.”</p><p>“He’s hurting,” Elnor stated sadly, “We need to help him.”</p><p>Raffi put a hand on his shoulder, “We will.”</p><p>…</p><p>It had taken time to rebuild La Sirena. Determination had carried their efforts. Their determination to help Rios and their determination to focus on something else. To have a purpose. They had won the war, but not without loss. </p><p>It was a joyous moment when the ship took flight again. </p><p>Rios thanked them. He apologised. His eyes had crinkled, he had laughed and then he said,</p><p>“It will be nice to get back to how it was.”</p><p>How it was. </p><p>Without them? </p><p>There was a new fear seeping into the air. A fear for the future.<br/>
…</p><p>“You are always welcome,” Picard told Soji, when Rios had stated they would be going back to Earth, “My home is your home.”</p><p>“Thank you,” Soji smiled. It didn’t reach her eyes.</p><p>“You don’t have to stay with me,” Picard chuckled, “I am aware there is a whole world out there. Just promise me you’ll visit.”</p><p>“Oh I will- it’s just-" she faltered, unsure if she should share.</p><p>“Soji, what is it?”</p><p>“I like it here,” Soji admitted, “La Sirena feels like home.”</p><p>“Oh,” Picard lips quirked.</p><p>“You think I am stupid,” Soji shook her head, “It doesn’t matter anyway, Rios doesn’t want-“</p><p>“I feel at home here too,” Picard stopped her.<br/>
…</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know,” Raffi told them, “I don’t think he ever intended to have people living with him.”</p><p>“What will you do?” Elnor asked.</p><p>"Figured I might go back to Freecloud,” Raffi rubbed at her neck, “Honestly, I have been trying not to think about it.”</p><p>“We’ve all been in a bubble,” Picard leaned forward in his chair, “Perhaps we need to just ask him?”</p><p>“That’s what I said,” Elnor smiled, bouncing on his heals.</p><p>Soji sniffed at his innocent enthusiasm, but she couldn’t share it, “What if he says no? The moment La Sirena was operational, he set a course for Earth.”</p><p>“Maybe he just wants to visit home?” Elnor tried again.</p><p> “La Sirena is his home,” Raffi sighed, “He set a course for Earth so that JL could go home.”</p><p>Picard gestured around, “But I am home.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Raffi nodded, “I don’t know what to suggest.”</p><p>“He’s started playing soccer up on deck again,” Soji laughed, “He got mad because I kicked it too hard and broke one of the side panels.” Her face darkened, “He isn’t going to want me to stay.”</p><p>“At least you didn’t accidently stab him,” Elnor dropped his head. </p><p>Picard rolled his eyes, “You were both to blame for that.”</p><p>“Hmmm,” Raffi agreed, “I told him not to play with knifes. Emmet is a holo so he- Hang on, why don’t we-"</p><p>“No!” A firm collective answer.</p><p>“We are not calling a hologram conference,” Picard held his hand up.</p><p>“We might get answers,” Raffi shrugged.</p><p>Soji folded her arms, “Or more confused.”</p><p>Raffi couldn’t argue with that. </p><p>….</p><p> </p><p>It was a few days later when they got their answer. At dinner time. A time when they always gathered together. It had happened without discussion. </p><p>(They would never tell each other, but they found it to be their favourite part of the day.)</p><p>“Where is Rios?” Picard asked, taking his food from the replicator. </p><p>“He’s taking a call,” Raffi gestured towards the bridge, “Thinks he has a new job.”</p><p>“Ah,” Picard slid into the table, “And we are nearly back to Earth.”</p><p>“It’s almost the end,” Elnor was sad; he was finding it harder than the others. </p><p>Raffi put a hand on his shoulder, “We can stay in touch.”</p><p>“Most definitely,” Picard made sure that Elnor could see the truth in his eyes. He wouldn’t be breaking anymore promises.</p><p>Soji picked at her food, “It won’t be the same.”</p><p>No-one could argue with that. </p><p>“Good news!” Rios slid down the stairs in an almost impossible way and bounded up to the table.</p><p>“Yeah?” Raffi aimed for enthusiastic, “You got the job?”</p><p>“I got the job,” his smile was stunning, “it’s going to be a fun one too.”</p><p> Soji sat up and nodded, “That’s great. Good for you.”</p><p>“Yes,” Picard agreed, “You deserve this, Rios.”</p><p>“Thanks,” Rios squinted, puzzled by the older man’s solemn tone. He glanced around the table and started to realise something was wrong, “I’m sorry, have I missed something?”</p><p>“No, no, honey,” Raffi reassured, “We’re happy for you.”</p><p>Rios tried to read her face, “Ok. Shall I tell you what it is?”</p><p>“Sure,” Soji pushed her food away, “Tell us what fun you will be having.”</p><p>“Right,” Rios was still confused, but he slid into the table and pushed ahead, “We’ve been asked if we can steal the Stone of Fansing. Now, I know, before any of you start, that we shouldn’t be messing around on Fansing, but it is too good of an opportunity to pass up. So…what do you say?”</p><p>Silence. </p><p>“Did you just say ‘we’?” Elnor finally broke it with a question so full of hope that it almost hurt. </p><p>“I’m not doing it on my own,” Rios snorted, but then he saw their expressions. He almost lost his heart, “Oh- oh- right. I should have seen this coming. Of course. You want to go back to Earth.”</p><p>Raffi couldn’t help it. She laughed. </p><p>Soji followed. </p><p>Picard put a hand on Rios’s arm to stop him from moving. He stood up, “Right, right. Enough. I think we need to make matters clear.”</p><p>“If you want to leave,” Rios swallowed, “then I won’t stop you.”</p><p>“But we don’t want to leave,” Elnor was practically giddy, “We thought you wanted us gone.”</p><p>“What?” Rios blinked and looked to Picard for confirmation. The older man’s eyes sparkled, </p><p>“I think there has been a communication breakdown.”</p><p>“I’ll say,” Raffi reached across the table and took hold of Rios’s hand. Her friend looked lost, “We don’t want to leave you, babe. We just weren’t sure if you wanted us to stay.”</p><p>“We thought you wanted things to go back to how they were,” Soji explained further.</p><p>“We thought we annoyed you too much,” Elnor added. </p><p>“Quite,” Picard laughed. </p><p>Rios’s gaze didn’t leave the table for what felt like forever. Worried expressions were shared, until he squeezed Raffi’s hands, flashed her a smile and then stood up.</p><p>“You know, when Raffi first told me that she had a job and it would mean working with the great Admiral Picard, I’m not going to lie, I was nervous. Excited, but nervous. I wasn’t for letting people in and yet, somehow, I knew I wouldn’t be able to stop it from happening. It’s been hard. It’s been damn hard, but I don’t regret it at all. And I want you to know. All of you. La Sirena is your home now as much as it is mine.”</p><p>They let that settle.</p><p>“I thought I was the speechmaker,” Picard smiled after the moment, giving the younger man a nudge.</p><p>“You are,” Rios sniffed, “I’m just sorry I had to make one. I thought you knew you could stay. if you wanted.”</p><p>“You’ve been through so much, honey,” Raffi shrugged, “We didn’t want to assume.”</p><p>“We’ve all been through a lot,” Rios countered, “And you all helped rebuild La Sirena.”</p><p>“La Sirena should never have been broken,” Soji stated, the guilt still sat in her heart, “You didn’t ask for any of it.”</p><p>“And we are annoying,” Elnor added again, “You say it all the time.”</p><p>Rios laughed then. A tension released. “I’m not going to disagree with that kid. You drive me crazy.”</p><p>“I’m sorry,” Elnor lowed his gaze, sadly. </p><p>“Don’t be sorry,” Rios told him, “At least you aren’t the one who keeps trying to hack into the system to create their own holograms.”</p><p>“I wasn’t trying to create new ones,” Soji argued, “Mr Hospitality wanted to have some old software reinstalled.”</p><p>“You made him speak Italian.”</p><p>“So? You can speak Italian.”</p><p>“That is not the point.”</p><p>“I think we are going off point,” Picard interrupted. </p><p>“He’s annoying too,” Rios made Elnor look at him before pointing at Picard, “It isn’t just you kids.”</p><p>“Oh,” Picard eyes widened, “And pray tell, how do I annoy you?”</p><p>“We could be here a while,” Raffi scoffed.</p><p>Rios smirked, “The Great Picard has locked the captain’s controls three times because he refuses to listen.”</p><p>“Those controls are unnecessarily complicated.”</p><p>“They wouldn’t be if you would follow instruction.”</p><p>“Ha,” Raffi laughed, “Slim chance of getting JL to do that.”</p><p>“And you,” Rios gestured towards his old friend, “You really need to stop flirting with the EMH. It’s weird.”</p><p>“I do not flirt with Emil,” Raffi shot back, although they all knew she was lying. “Anyway, hark at you going on like you are Mr Perfect. You can be seriously annoying too.”</p><p>“Oh really?”</p><p>“I really don’t think we need-" Picard tried to maintain some order, but the others weren’t having it. </p><p>“You are such a neat freak.”</p><p>“You never let me fly the ship.”</p><p>“I still don’t understand why you have cigars, if you no longer light them.”</p><p>Picard shook his head and shrugged to Rios, “I tried.”</p><p>Rios shrugged back with a smile. Elnor didn’t get it, “You are not upset?”</p><p>“No, I am not upset,” Rios reassured him, “In fact, I am pretty damn happy right about now.”</p><p>“But why?” Elnor questioned.</p><p>“Because we are a family,” Soji stated, nodding at Rios. She understood. She truly understood. It made her feel peaceful. After everything, who would have thought that this is where she would find her place. </p><p>Picard smiled at her; proud and complete, “Couldn’t have said it better myself.”  </p><p>“So, we don’t have to leave?” Elnor needed confirmation.</p><p>“No,” Rios put a hand on his shoulder, “No-one is going anywhere.”</p><p>“This makes me very happy,” he replied, puppy dog positivism returning, “I think we are a good family.”</p><p>“We’re a little odd,” Raffi scoffed, “but yeah, we’re good.”<br/>
…</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>(I know there is a character missing, but she confuses me)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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